1. Metformin is used to treat a type of diabetes. It helps to control the amount
of sugar in your blood.
2. Take the tablets with or after some food.
3. Metformin can sometimes cause stomach upsets and diarrhoea, but if you keep
taking the tablets this should go away in a week or so. Taking the tablets with
food helps to prevent this problem. If any side effects are persistent or troublesome
tell me or your doctor.
4. It is important to stick to the diet the doctor has advised and to try to
take regular exercise.
5. Some medicines you can buy for heartburn or indigestion can cause problems
with these tablets. Ask me or the doctor before you take anything else.
This series of "advice tips" on commonly used drugs is written by
pharmacists from the Sussex Pharmacy Academic Practice Unit. It is intended
as a reminder of points to be made by pharmacists as they hand out dispensed
medicines. The list is not intended to be comprehensive but to cover some important
points.
By Carina and Duncan Livingstone
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